Nintendo Mini Classics resurrects Game & Watch titles

Do you miss your old Game & Watch units, or want to see what portable gamers …

Long before Nintendo hit the goldmine that was the Game Boy console and its various descendants over the past twenty years, the company managed to strike it big with the Game & Watch series. In fact, before handheld consoles like the Game Boy and Game Gear managed to set the standard for portable gaming, the Game & Watch titles were imitated by many other electronics companies; gamers who grew up in the 1980s undoubtedly played one of Nintendo's titles or one of the knock-offs by Tiger Electronics. While these games have been hard to find for a while, it's been revealed that some of the Game & Watch titles are back, thanks to the Nintendo Mini Classics.

The Mini Classics are designed to look like smaller versions of the classic Game Boy consoles; coming with a built-in stand for desktop placement and a keychain. Retailing for somewhere between $5-20 on average, the units have one of three games to choose from: Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Jr, and Mario's Cement Factory.

While there undoubtedly better-made games available on on handheld consoles—and even cell phones—these days, the reincarnation of some of the Game & Watch catalog provides veteran gamers with the opportunity to revisit the memories of their youth. Not only that, but the Mini Classics could make for a great way to introduce a new generation of kids to the world of video games.